Raid Nets 2 In Alleged Betting Ring

December 23, 1990

Lyons and Chicago police raided a Lyons apartment building Saturday, arresting two men authorities said were operating a major sports bookmaking operation that took in as much as $150,000 a day in bets.

Lyons Police Chief Anthony Finnelly said thousands of dollars in betting slips were seized as were five portable phones and detailed records listing wagers.

``This is definitely a syndicate operation,`` Finnelly said. Authorities had been observing the apartment, at 8003 W. Ogden Ave., in the western suburb for the last 10 days, he said. Police from Chicago`s vice unit and intelligence division assisted Lyons police in the arrest.

It was the first major vice arrest in the suburb since federal authorities conducted a series of investigations in the mid-1980s that led to the closing of several taverns accused of being fronts of prostitution, said Lyons Mayor Judy Petrucci.